ONE: Absolute Location Buffalo NY and Niagara Falls NY are both in the Western Hemisphere, in North America, in the United States, in New York State.
The absolute location of Buffalo is….Buffalo, New York, USA42° N/ 78° WThe absolute location of Niagara Falls, New York, USA43° N/ 79° W* Two: Relative Location Both Buffalo, NY, and Niagara Falls, NY, lie in Western New York, the westernmost portion of New York State. New York State is a Middle Atlantic State in the northeast of the United States. Buffalo lies at the northeastern point of Lake Erie. Buffalo is south of Lake Ontario.
Buffalo is south of Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls NY lies on the east bank of the Niagara River north of Lake Erie and South of Lake Ontario.
Niagara Falls, New York lies to the east of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Niagara Falls, New York represents a border with Canada. * Three: Description of GeographyBuffaloNYLandforms: The Buffalo NY area consists of gently rolling terrain. Buffalo is located at the northeastern end of Lake Erie where Lake Erie flows into the Niagara River northward toward Lake Ontario. Buffalo also represents the terminus of the manmade Erie Canal. Bodies of water Lake Erie Buffalo River Niagara River
Buffalo is 599 feet above sea level. Climate:When below-freezing winds blow across the warmer water of Lake Erie "lake effect" snow is produced. The result is greater snowfall in the Buffalo area than in most northern states, although Buffalo's reupuation for severe winters is somewhat exaggerated.In the photo at right from February 2007 a very heavy lake effect snow squall engulfs downtown Buffalo. Average Temperatures: January, 24.2° F; July, 70.7° F; annual average, 47.7° F Average Annual Precipitation: 38.5 inches of rain; 93.3 inches of snow
Niagara Falls NY The Niagara Falls formed approximately 25,000 years ago. As the glaciers retreated at the end of the last Ice Age, when most of what is now Canada and the United States lay beneath sheets of ice hundreds to thousands of feet thick. As the last glacier retreated, its movement and ice formed Lake Erie. Water from Lake Erie began to run down to the lower basin that would later be Lake Ontario, forming the Niagara River. Over time th he force of the water wore down the rocks and soil, forming a deep gorge that today extends north from Niagara Falls to where the Niagara River flows into Lake Ontario. NEW YORKINGENERAL Plant life:Most of of NewYork state is forested woodland. Most of that is dominated by by a small number of northern hardwoods, such as beeches and sugar maples, species of ash, basswood, cherry, birch, red maple, oak, and, occasionally, conifers such as white pine and hemlock. Animal life:Small mammals include deer mice, eastern cottontails, snowshoe hares, woodchucks, gray squirrels, muskrats, and raccoons.Larger mammals include white-tailed deer, beavers, and black bears.Birds include eastern meadowlarks, American goldfinches, cardinals, eastern bluebirds, cedar waxwings, bluejays, several kinds of woodpeckers and owls, red-tailed hawks, ruffed grouses, and mallards. * Four: Photographs of locationsBUFFALO Buffalo's natural geography provides 37 miles of water frontage and one of the best harbors on the Great Lakes.The first image of Buffalo Harbor provides a good idea of the heavy commerical traffic during the 1800's. The second more recent image depicts a portion of the shorline today in a post-industrial period with much less commercial traffic than before. NIAGARA FALLS: The falls are divided into two parts by Goat Island. The Canadian Falls (the large portion also known as the Horseshoe Falls) measures 2,600 feet along its curve and drops 162 feet. The smaller portion, known as the AMerican Falls, is 1,000 feet across and falls 167 feet. Every minute approximately 12,000,000 cubic feet, or 379,000 tons, of water pours over Niagara Falls into the Niagara gorge, filling the air with mist and a constant roar. * Seven: Connecting history to human characteristics of Buffalo The city of Buffalo, NY - my hometown - became a shipping and transportation hub in the 1800's and early 1900's because of its strategic location and geography. Located at the northeast end of Lake Erie where the lake flows into the Niagara River, Buffalo's natural geography provides 37 miles of water frontage and one of the best harbors on the Great Lakes.
Buffalo's strategic geographical benefits were enhanced by human technology. Buffalo was selected as the western terminus of the Erie Canal - constructed in the 1820's - a 363-mile canal which connected the Hudson River (from Albany, NY) to Buffalo. thereby providing an uninterrupted waterway from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, the American Midwest, and the interior of Canada. Grains and raw materials flowed from the west to the east, while manufactured goods flowed from the east to the west. The development of railroads in the 1840's also impacted Buffalo, strengthening its role as a transportation center and prompting the manufacture of steel in Buffalo. The geographic availablilty of iron ore in Minnesota on Lake Superior and coking coal from Pennsylvania on Lake Erie rendered Buffalo a perfect location for steel foundries and manufacturers. This industry was later followed by automobile manufacturing in the early 1920's.
The construction of the Peace Bridge over the Niagara River in 1927 connected Buffalo, NY to Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, thereby rendering Buffalo, NY, the main entrance to Canada for many decades, contributing further to its roles as a transportation hub. Niagara Falls The force of the falls was first harnessed to generate hydroelectric power at the end of the 1800's when the Niagara Falls Power Company was formed by U.S. investment bankers who hired scientists and engineers to develop a hydroelectric project. The first large-scale hydrolectric plant in the world began generating electric current in 1895. By 1902 power stations at Niagara Falls were producing about one-fifth of all electricity in the US. In the 1920's technological advances allowed for a more affordable means of transmitting power for hundreds of miles. This advance resulted in an electrical network that established the pattern for 20th century electric power. * Five: Human characteristics of * Six: Connecting geography to human characteristics of place BuffaloToday, as a result of its history as a shipping/transportation hub, Buffalo remains an international port and a major center of railroad transportation, handling large quantities of bulk products such as iron ore, limestone, coal, and grain.
BuffaloBuffalo continues to serve as a major transportation hub today largely due to its geography. Its location on the shore of Lake Erie and its 37 miles of water frontage made it a strategic harbor for industry. These geographic advantages eventually led to Buffalo's role as a manufacturer and developer of railroads. Buffalo's growth and importance in U.S. history are due in large part to geographic factors. Niagara FallsAs a natural beauty, the falls has attracted tourists from all over the world and for many decades has been a popular travel destination for honeymooners.Today, Niagara Falls is still the largest electricity producer in New York State, with a generating capacity of 2.4 gigawatts (million kilowatts). It continues to draw tourists who are attracted by its natural beauty as well as entertainment options including casinos. Niagara FallsNiagara Falls' importance is clearly attributable to geographic factors. Its unique geological history and natural beauty have made it a popular tourist destination for many generations. Further, its sheer power inspired scientists and engineers to harness its power to generate electricity. The Falls continues to draw tourists and to generate huge amounts of electricity today. *Eight: Challenges The bodies of water highlighted in this article - Lake Erie and the Niagara River - are constatntly polluted by manufacturers today. A New York Times article from September 2009, entitled, Clean Water Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering, reports that nearly 40 years after passage of the federal Clean Water Act, polluters continue to violate Clean Water laws on a large scale. Records from the most recent five years indicated more than half a million known violations. State officials have largely ignored illegal dumping, and the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, the federal agency charged with enforcing environmental laws, has often declined to intervene. New York times investigation indicates that approximately 10% of Americans have been exposed to drinking water containing dangerous chemicals. Some of the most frequently detected contaminants have been linked to cancer, birth defects and neurological disorders.
I utilized a database provided with the online version of this article to identify a known polluters in the Buffalo area. I discovered that the Vesuvius Corporation in Lackawanna, New York, perpetrated 334 violations but was not fined for any of these. The Vesuvius Corporation is located close to the home of my sister and close to the beach where my family hosted and celebrated my sister's wedding in the summer of 2011.
Today students and people of all ages can join, and support the activities of environmental action groups to access information and promote positive change. One such organization, the Natural Resources Defense Council -http://www.nrdc.org - with offices around the country including one in Chicago, harnesses the efforts of 300 employees including lawyers, scientists, and policy experts, and 1.3 million members and environmental activists. Nine: Connecting geography to literature
During my August 2011 visit to Buffalo I was reading City of Light by Lauren Belfer. Told in the first person by protagonist Louisa Barrett, the headmistress of an all girls school for the daughters of Buffalo's wealthy industrialists, City of Light is a work of historical fiction and mystery that takes place in Buffalo in 1901, at the height of Buffalo's prosperity and importance as a major US city. The year 1901 was significant for the rapid development of hydroelectric power generated by the power of Niagara Falls and the hosting of the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo. City of Light addresses the struggle of immigrant workers to unionize to protect themselves from the abuses of industrialists, the opposition to hydroelectric power development at Niagara Falls by religious and conservationist groups, the struggle of African Americans to participate in and benefit from the prosperity of Buffalo and the nation, and the subjugated role of women in that day and age. Througout the book it is clear that the achievements of the Buffalo and Niagara region at that time were largely made possible by the geography of the area, particularly Lake Erie and the powerful force of the Niagara River. Ten: Connecting geography to personal I spent several days in my hometown of Buffalo, New York in August 2011 to attend my sister's wedding. In the days leading up to the visit and the visit itself I was reading City of Light by Buffalonian Lauren Belfer. Written in 1999 and set in 1901 (the year of the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo). Much of the action took place within about ten blocks of my high school OR at Niagara Falls. This reading experience created a renewed sense of appreciation for the history and importance of Buffalo in US history, particularly with regard to Buffalo's role as a port city and transporation hub and Niagara Falls as the site of unprecedented achievement in the generation of hydroelectric power. Both of those achievements are related to geographical factors - namely Lake Erie and the Niagara River.
Three family events took place on the shoreline of Lake Erie (a party on the US side, a family gathering on a beach on the Canadian side, and the wedding itself on a beach on the US side). I saw Buffalo and Canada and the waters of Lake Erie and the Niagara River from many different angles and perspectives during the weekend. Finally, during the first few minutes of the flight back to Chicago the pilot announced that he was given the unusual clearance to fly a 360 over Niagara Falls. At the very moment that the plane flew above and around what is considered one of the world's most awesome geographical spectacles, I was reading a moment in the book when the characters were interacting on Goat Island, the island in the Niagara River that separates the Bridal Veil portion of the falls from the Horseshoe Falls. What serendipity! Eleven: Artwork –This painting is an artistic rendering by artist Len Tantillo, depicting the junction of Buffalo Creek and the Erie Canal, featuring the world's first grain elevator. Len Tantillo, born and raised in Upstate New York and educated at the Rhode Island School of Design, is known for his historical paintings which are based on archeological artifacts and historical documents.
ONE: Absolute Location
Buffalo NY and Niagara Falls NY are both in the Western Hemisphere, in North America, in the United States, in New York State.
The absolute location of Buffalo is….Buffalo, New York, USA42° N/ 78° WThe absolute location of Niagara Falls, New York, USA43° N/ 79° W*
Two: Relative Location
Both Buffalo, NY, and Niagara Falls, NY, lie in Western New York, the westernmost portion of New York State. New York State is a Middle Atlantic State in the northeast of the United States. Buffalo lies at the northeastern point of Lake Erie. Buffalo is south of Lake Ontario.
Buffalo is south of Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls NY lies on the east bank of the Niagara River north of Lake Erie and South of Lake Ontario.
Niagara Falls, New York lies to the east of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Niagara Falls, New York represents a border with Canada.
* Three: Description of Geography Buffalo NYLandforms:
The Buffalo NY area consists of gently rolling terrain. Buffalo is located at the northeastern end of Lake Erie where Lake Erie flows into the Niagara River northward toward Lake Ontario. Buffalo also represents the terminus of the manmade Erie Canal.
Bodies of water
Lake Erie
Buffalo River
Niagara River
Buffalo is 599 feet above sea level.
Climate:When below-freezing winds blow across the warmer water of Lake Erie "lake effect" snow is produced. The result is greater snowfall in the Buffalo area than in most northern states, although Buffalo's reupuation for severe winters is somewhat exaggerated.In the photo at right from February 2007 a very heavy lake effect snow squall engulfs downtown Buffalo.
Average Temperatures: January, 24.2° F; July, 70.7° F; annual average, 47.7° F
Average Annual Precipitation: 38.5 inches of rain; 93.3 inches of snow
Niagara Falls NY
The Niagara Falls formed approximately 25,000 years ago. As the glaciers retreated at the end of the last Ice Age, when most of what is now Canada and the United States lay beneath sheets of ice hundreds to thousands of feet thick. As the last glacier retreated, its movement and ice formed Lake Erie. Water from Lake Erie began to run down to the lower basin that would later be Lake Ontario, forming the Niagara River. Over time th he force of the water wore down the rocks and soil, forming a deep gorge that today extends north from Niagara Falls to where the Niagara River flows into Lake Ontario.
NEW YORK IN GENERAL
Plant life:Most of of NewYork state is forested woodland. Most of that is dominated by by a small number of northern hardwoods, such as beeches and sugar maples, species of ash, basswood, cherry, birch, red maple, oak, and, occasionally, conifers such as white pine and hemlock.
Animal life:Small mammals include deer mice, eastern cottontails, snowshoe hares, woodchucks, gray squirrels, muskrats, and raccoons.Larger mammals include white-tailed deer, beavers, and black bears.Birds include eastern meadowlarks, American goldfinches, cardinals, eastern bluebirds, cedar waxwings, bluejays, several kinds of woodpeckers and owls, red-tailed hawks, ruffed grouses, and mallards.
* Four: Photographs of locations BUFFALO
Buffalo's natural geography provides 37 miles of water frontage and one of the best harbors on the Great Lakes.The first image of Buffalo Harbor provides a good idea of the heavy commerical traffic during the 1800's. The second more recent image depicts a portion of the shorline today in a post-industrial period with much less commercial traffic than before.
NIAGARA FALLS: The falls are divided into two parts by Goat Island. The Canadian Falls (the large portion also known as the Horseshoe Falls) measures 2,600 feet along its curve and drops 162 feet. The smaller portion, known as the AMerican Falls, is 1,000 feet across and falls 167 feet. Every minute approximately 12,000,000 cubic feet, or 379,000 tons, of water pours over Niagara Falls into the Niagara gorge, filling the air with mist and a constant roar.
* Seven: Connecting history to human characteristics of
Buffalo
The city of Buffalo, NY - my hometown - became a shipping and transportation hub in the 1800's and early 1900's because of its strategic location and geography. Located at the northeast end of Lake Erie where the lake flows into the Niagara River, Buffalo's natural geography provides 37 miles of water frontage and one of the best harbors on the Great Lakes.
Buffalo's strategic geographical benefits were enhanced by human technology. Buffalo was selected as the western terminus of the Erie Canal - constructed in the 1820's - a 363-mile canal which connected the Hudson River (from Albany, NY) to Buffalo. thereby providing an uninterrupted waterway from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, the American Midwest, and the interior of Canada. Grains and raw materials flowed from the west to the east, while manufactured goods flowed from the east to the west. The development of railroads in the 1840's also impacted Buffalo, strengthening its role as a transportation center and prompting the manufacture of steel in Buffalo. The geographic availablilty of iron ore in Minnesota on Lake Superior and coking coal from Pennsylvania on Lake Erie rendered Buffalo a perfect location for steel foundries and manufacturers. This industry was later followed by automobile manufacturing in the early 1920's.
The construction of the Peace Bridge over the Niagara River in 1927 connected Buffalo, NY to Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, thereby rendering Buffalo, NY, the main entrance to Canada for many decades, contributing further to its roles as a transportation hub.
Niagara Falls
The force of the falls was first harnessed to generate hydroelectric power at the end of the 1800's when the Niagara Falls Power Company was formed by U.S. investment bankers who hired scientists and engineers to develop a hydroelectric project. The first large-scale hydrolectric plant in the world began generating electric current in 1895. By 1902 power stations at Niagara Falls were producing about one-fifth of all electricity in the US. In the 1920's technological advances allowed for a more affordable means of transmitting power for hundreds of miles. This advance resulted in an electrical network that established the pattern for 20th century electric power.
* Five: Human characteristics of * Six: Connecting geography to human characteristics of place
BuffaloToday, as a result of its history as a shipping/transportation hub, Buffalo remains an international port and a major center of railroad transportation, handling large quantities of bulk products such as iron ore, limestone, coal, and grain.
BuffaloBuffalo continues to serve as a major transportation hub today largely due to its geography. Its location on the shore of Lake Erie and its 37 miles of water frontage made it a strategic harbor for industry. These geographic advantages eventually led to Buffalo's role as a manufacturer and developer of railroads. Buffalo's growth and importance in U.S. history are due in large part to geographic factors.
Niagara FallsAs a natural beauty, the falls has attracted tourists from all over the world and for many decades has been a popular travel destination for honeymooners.Today, Niagara Falls is still the largest electricity producer in New York State, with a generating capacity of 2.4 gigawatts (million kilowatts). It continues to draw tourists who are attracted by its natural beauty as well as entertainment options including casinos.
Niagara FallsNiagara Falls' importance is clearly attributable to geographic factors. Its unique geological history and natural beauty have made it a popular tourist destination for many generations. Further, its sheer power inspired scientists and engineers to harness its power to generate electricity. The Falls continues to draw tourists and to generate huge amounts of electricity today.
*Eight: Challenges The bodies of water highlighted in this article - Lake Erie and the Niagara River - are constatntly polluted by manufacturers today. A New York Times article from September 2009, entitled, Clean Water Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering, reports that nearly 40 years after passage of the federal Clean Water Act, polluters continue to violate Clean Water laws on a large scale. Records from the most recent five years indicated more than half a million known violations. State officials have largely ignored illegal dumping, and the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, the federal agency charged with enforcing environmental laws, has often declined to intervene. New York times investigation indicates that approximately 10% of Americans have been exposed to drinking water containing dangerous chemicals. Some of the most frequently detected contaminants have been linked to cancer, birth defects and neurological disorders.
I utilized a database provided with the online version of this article to identify a known polluters in the Buffalo area. I discovered that the Vesuvius Corporation in Lackawanna, New York, perpetrated 334 violations but was not fined for any of these. The Vesuvius Corporation is located close to the home of my sister and close to the beach where my family hosted and celebrated my sister's wedding in the summer of 2011.
Today students and people of all ages can join, and support the activities of environmental action groups to access information and promote positive change. One such organization, the Natural Resources Defense Council -http://www.nrdc.org - with offices around the country including one in Chicago, harnesses the efforts of 300 employees including lawyers, scientists, and policy experts, and 1.3 million members and environmental activists.
Nine: Connecting geography to literature
During my August 2011 visit to Buffalo I was reading City of Light by Lauren Belfer. Told in the first person by protagonist Louisa Barrett, the headmistress of an all girls school for the daughters of Buffalo's wealthy industrialists, City of Light is a work of historical fiction and mystery that takes place in Buffalo in 1901, at the height of Buffalo's prosperity and importance as a major US city. The year 1901 was significant for the rapid development of hydroelectric power generated by the power of Niagara Falls and the hosting of the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo. City of Light addresses the struggle of immigrant workers to unionize to protect themselves from the abuses of industrialists, the opposition to hydroelectric power development at Niagara Falls by religious and conservationist groups, the struggle of African Americans to participate in and benefit from the prosperity of Buffalo and the nation, and the subjugated role of women in that day and age. Througout the book it is clear that the achievements of the Buffalo and Niagara region at that time were largely made possible by the geography of the area, particularly Lake Erie and the powerful force of the Niagara River.
Ten: Connecting geography to personal
I spent several days in my hometown of Buffalo, New York in August 2011 to attend my sister's wedding. In the days leading up to the visit and the visit itself I was reading City of Light by Buffalonian Lauren Belfer. Written in 1999 and set in 1901 (the year of the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo). Much of the action took place within about ten blocks of my high school OR at Niagara Falls. This reading experience created a renewed sense of appreciation for the history and importance of Buffalo in US history, particularly with regard to Buffalo's role as a port city and transporation hub and Niagara Falls as the site of unprecedented achievement in the generation of hydroelectric power. Both of those achievements are related to geographical factors - namely Lake Erie and the Niagara River.
Three family events took place on the shoreline of Lake Erie (a party on the US side, a family gathering on a beach on the Canadian side, and the wedding itself on a beach on the US side). I saw Buffalo and Canada and the waters of Lake Erie and the Niagara River from many different angles and perspectives during the weekend. Finally, during the first few minutes of the flight back to Chicago the pilot announced that he was given the unusual clearance to fly a 360 over Niagara Falls. At the very moment that the plane flew above and around what is considered one of the world's most awesome geographical spectacles, I was reading a moment in the book when the characters were interacting on Goat Island, the island in the Niagara River that separates the Bridal Veil portion of the falls from the Horseshoe Falls. What serendipity!
Eleven: Artwork –This painting is an artistic rendering by artist Len Tantillo, depicting the junction of Buffalo Creek and the Erie Canal, featuring the world's first grain elevator. Len Tantillo, born and raised in Upstate New York and educated at the Rhode Island School of Design, is known for his historical paintings which are based on archeological artifacts and historical documents.